


Heart in Hand

by lee-baehwan (jo2ukes)



Category: VIXX
Genre: Multi, basically fills in the blanks from the mv??, error/cyborg au, general violence and gore but nothing too graphic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-26
Updated: 2014-11-26
Packaged: 2018-02-27 02:06:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2674847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jo2ukes/pseuds/lee-baehwan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You don’t make them, you never make them. You only unmake them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_Hakyeon jolts awake, snapping up to an alert position beside Taekwoon. His eyes are wide and his shaking hand immediately flies to his side to feel for a weapon that isn’t there. Taekwoon gently grabs his friend’s hand, doing his best to ease Hakyeon’s nerves._

_“It was too far away,” Taekwoon says firmly, “They weren’t firing at us.”_

_Hakyeon lets out a slow breath, easing his posture a little._

_“How early do you reckon it is?” He asks. “I feel like I haven’t slept a wink.” He stretches and yawns, his movements a little stiff._

_“It’s early,” Taekwoon says simply. They discuss time out of necessity to fill the silence, but time is no longer a meaningful concept to any of them. They’re just trying to push through each day. Each minute, each second, each breath is a victory._

_“How’s Jaehwan?” Hakyeon asks, scooting closer._

_“Asleep, I think,” Taekwoon says, studying the face in his lap. He runs his fingers softly over Jaehwan’s skin. It’s a cool night, but Jaehwan is sweating- no doubt because of his wound- Taekwoon only hopes it doesn’t get infected. It’s probably already worse than any of them are willing to admit._

_“I’m awake,” Jaehwan mutters weakly._

_“Well, you_ should _be asleep,” Hakyeon chides quickly, puling Jaewhan’s blanket up for him. “Don’t move around so much, it’s not good for Jaehwan’s back,” he chides Taekwoon._

_“I can’t feel it,” Jaehwan says. “If Taekwoon is moving, I can’t feel it. It doesn’t hurt.” Jaehwan tries to keep positive, but his words only solidify Taekwoon’s fears. With the damage to his spinal cord, it’s probably hard for Jaehwan to feel much._

_“You’re feeling better, then?” Hakyeon asks._

_“Well enough to sing you a couple of songs and do a dance, if you’d like,” Jaehwan lets out a laugh which quickly turns into a cough._

_“Water,” Taekwoon gently commands, but Hakyeon is already digging in the bag, searching for what little water they have left. He tilts Jaehwan’s head ever so slightly as Hakyeon lets a few drops of water trickle slowly into Jaewhan’s mouth._

_“Where’s Wonshik?” Jaehwan asks after he’s consumed a pleasing amount of water. “Did he get tired of attending to me on my sickbed?” He laughs again._

_“He went to go see the General. Something’s happening on the front lines. He’s been gone a while…” Hakyeon looks out to the horizon as if expecting Wonshik to appear suddenly._

_“Maybe he’ll bring back news that we can go home,” Jaehwan hums tiredly. “Maybe it’s all over.”_

_There’s silence for a moment as the three of them digest Jaehwan’s expression of hope. Taekwoon wants to go home, he wants to go home more than anything. Home means Jaehwan is safe. It means Hakyeon and Wonshik are safe. Home means peace. Home means Taekwoon will no longer have to use his hands to destroy. It means that they can work on building and rebuilding._

_Seven months ago, Taekwoon hadn’t imagined himself here. Seven months ago, there was peace. Seven months ago he’d no idea that any of his companions even existed. He’d been too lost in his studies to notice much. Rather than becoming intimate and acquainted with humanity, Taekwoon spent his time becoming intimate with the most complicated technology- biomechanics and robotics. He understood the cogs and the ticking and the circuitry better than he understood any human mind, and he was handsomely rewarded for that knowledge. He was told he had a gift. He gave life to what wasn’t meant to live. Now his gift only felt like a curse. In these last seven months, he’s become more acquainted with humanity than ever before and, while he doesn’t always understand it, like anything else- he values it._

_Seven months ago, the concept of robot rebellion sounded stupid. Artificial intelligence becoming too intelligent seemed like a fear left behind in the 21 st century. It sounded like childhood horror stories, the stuff of far off science-fiction. Statistically improbable. Highly unlikely._

_And yet, here they are. Despite what he had thought, despite the awe he’d had in his own creations and his own studies, despite his faith in the goodness of the work of his hands, he has watched friends die because of what he’s created. It makes the former statistics and facts laughable. And it makes him feel like he should have known. Their blood is on his hands. Not just the blood of his human friends, but the blood of his creations as well. How could you give life and hope and dreams to something and expect it to be happy being subservient?_

_“They’ve released the Rot!” someone yells. Taekwoon is pulled out of his thoughts, catching the cautious glance Hakyeon throws in his direction. Taekwoon is praying that he heard wrong. That they all heard wrong. That their messenger is somehow misinformed. The tense silence is punctured again by the sound of another cannon. He grabs Jaehwan’s hand and squeezes it._

_The messenger runs closer to their unit—or, rather, what’s left of it. It’s only the four of them now—facial features coming into view. The closely shaven head and strong brows are a dead giveaway. Taekwoon is glad to see Wonshik but his heart has sunk to his feet and up to his throat._

_“They released it,” Wonshik says, collapsing on the ground and heavily panting. “It’s over.”_

_“The Consul said they wouldn’t,” Hakyeon says, digging in his pack once more to throw Wonshik his portion of their water reserve. “I thought we convinced them it would harm us more than it would help.” Wonshik shrugs._

_“General said there were too many casualties. Said the Consul decided it was time to stop beating around the bush and end the slaughter.”_

_“What about_ us _?” Taekwoon asks. “He knows what this means for us!”_

_“General said they were trying to keep the Rot contained. He hopes it will only affect the metal and circuitry of the troops out on the battlefields, but there’s no guarantee,” Wonshik says carefully._

_“The Consul will probably take back that precaution as well,” Taekwoon scoffs. “Why wipe out only part of a threat? We can kiss anything biomechanical goodbye.”_

_“We can’t let them do this,” Hakyeon jumps to his feet, buttoning his jacket against the cool night air. “We’ll lose so many more people if they do this. I-” He makes to exit, but Wonshik raises a hand, stopping him._

_“There’s nothing we can do,” he sighs, his voice tinged with exhaustion and sadness. “It’s already been released. I tried to stop them, I really did.”_

_“Fuck,” Hakyeon breathes. He collapses to the ground, running a hand through his hair. “What do we do?” He glances down at Jaehwan, not elaborating._

_“We go home,” Jaehwan says. His voice is quiet and his cheerful tone is out of place. “We finally get to go home.” Taekwoon was never sure how much Jaehwan had absorbed the past few days, being in and out of consciousness and all. Either Jaehwan understands the dire consequences he’s facing, or he’s so out of touch with reality that he can’t understand what this means for any of them. His eyes are half closed and he has a dumb grin on his face._

_“Don’t you worry,” Wonshik says, firmly. “We’re going home and we’re going to get you taken care of,” He scoots closer and runs his fingers through Jaehwan’s hair. “You’re going to be just fine.” His reassurance seems to be directed more towards the rest of the group than to Jaehwan._

_“I believe you,” Jaehwan says. “I’ll just rest up for the journey home, shall I? Wake me up when we’re ready to move.”_

_Taekwoon is squeezing Jaehwan’s hand so hard he can’t feel his fingers._


	2. Chapter 2

“I’m afraid rules are rules,” came the garbled sound of the Consul’s voice. “You do understand the importance, yes?”

“Of course,” Taekwoon nods. “I apologize, Consul. As I am in charge of this facility, the slow work pace is entirely my fault. I will personally put in the hours to make sure that we are caught up again.”

“If you hadn’t proved you were loyal to me, I think I’d greatly distrust you,” Consul says. “You’re intelligent, quiet, and- according to your military record- very strong and brutal. You’re invaluable to us, Jung Taekwoon. Please take that in stride.”

“Thank you sir.”

“I’ll expect to see you caught up on production within the week then.”

The line clicks dead and Taekwoon lets out a sigh, running his hands through his hair. There’s a knock on the door and Hakyeon enters.

“New guy is here,” he says, handing Taekwoon a cup of coffee. “How was the call with the Consul? What did he say?” Hakyeon is nosy, as always, and though Taekwoon will never say so, he appreciates having a friend willing to listen and share some of his burdens.

“He noticed we’re behind on melted scrap production. We’ve got too many full bots lying around. I told him I’d pick up the pace.” Taekwoon takes a sip of his coffee.

“I owe you an apology, I guess,” Hakyeon fidgets. “I haven’t found a motor chip yet, at least, not one that still works,” His tone is apologetic. “I only have a few more bots to go through until I find one. If you could just give me a little more time, I promise I can help you—”

“I know,” Taekwoon sighs. “Relax. Find and install a chip while I’m with the new kid this morning. You can help me pick up the pace later.”

“You got it, boss,” Hakyeon smiles, offering an exaggerated salute and suddenly considerably cheerier. “By the way, new guy? Total greenie. I don’t think he’s seen a bot since he was a kid. There’s definitely no way he served. He looks like he was too young for the draft. He’s standing in the lobby slack-jawed,” Hakyeon laughs a little.

“Go find the motor chip,” Taekwoon says, standing. “Find us when you’ve installed it.” Hakyeon nods enthusiastically and Taekwoon heads towards the lobby. The new employee isn’t hard to find—this place never gets visitors. It’s not exactly a visiting kind of place. Once upon a time, it had been. Once upon a time the halls were well lit, the floors gleamed, the place was bustling with staff, children walked by and silently prayed that they’d work here one day. Now this place is only a shell of its former glory- a monument to the once golden age of the industry, now only a solemn reminder of war and suffering.

Taekwoon silently makes his way down the hall, hesitating as his eyes light upon his newest employee. Hakyeon isn’t wrong. The new kid is just that- a kid. He’s dressed nicely, his hair messy though Taekwoon can sense it was meticulously styled to look that way, and his eyes are wide as he glances around the lobby reading notices and looking at bot blueprints. He straightens his posture when his eyes fall on Taekwoon, eagerly outstretching his hand.

“I’m Sanghyuk,” he says, grinning despite his attempts to appear professional. “I hope I can be of help to you, I’ve never done much tinkering with bots.”

“We don’t do much tinkering.” Taekwoon says plainly. He turns on his heel, not wanting to draw this out longer than it needs to be, and motions for Sanghyuk to follow him. He leads Sanghyuk out of the hall and back into the workshops.

“No, of course not,” Sanghyuk nods, suddenly serious.  “I heard a facility up North tried tinkering, but I’m sure the Consul has gotten wind of it.”

“If you tinker, you get shut down,” He says. “We don’t tinker. Is that clear?”

“Yes sir,” Sanghyuk says, trying to straighten his back more. “I’m sorry, sir.”

Taekwoon bites back a smile. It’s almost comical how quickly the topic of illegally meddling with bots can wipe the smile off Sanghyuk’s face and command respect. If only Taekwoon could find the secret to getting that same respect from Hakyeon.

 Sanghyuk remains silent as Taekwoon explains what happens in the facility- the process of collecting bot parts and burning them down to repurpose them- and taking extra care to stress the Law. Sanghyuk is attentive, cocking his head slightly to the left as he listens to Taekwoon talk.  He leads him through several rooms of their building, none entirely impressive, but somehow all of them managed to capture all of Sanghyuk’s attention.

They pass by the Wall as Taekwoon moves to give Sanghyuk a tour of the small offices in which the employees fill out records and forms to establish quotas. Sanghyuk, thankfully, is too oblivious or interested in his surroundings to pay attention to Hakyeon’s rather loud mumbling coming from the end of the hall. Taekwoon quickly pushes Sanghyuk into an office before he has the chance to notice Hakyeon, yet Taekwoon lingers for a moment.

“You always were such a troublemaker,” Hakyeon mutters to the Wall. “I’m not complaining. Having you like this means you _have_ to listen to me, something we all know you could practice.” A sigh. “I just wish you were… here.”  

It’s a risky habit, but Taekwoon never says anything because he understands. It’s just him and Hakyeon now. They were always close, but now they’re knitted even more tightly together. They’re the last strings in left in a once intricate tapestry. They’ve both lost someone.

“Paper sure stacks up in here,” Sanghyuk says as Taekwoon steps into the office, not even noticing that his boss had been absent from his side.

“There’s always work to be done,” Taekwoon says. “This is Youngji’s office. She’s invaluable but she’s sick a lot, so she falls behind on the workload.”

Taekwoon once again launches into a lecture about the importance of staying on top of quotas. It’s annoying, but in their line of work, it’s a matter of life or death. Falling behind on quotas means falling out of the Consuls’ good graces. It means you’re no longer trustworthy. It means you’re one mistake away from ending up on the Wall.

“You must be Sanghyuk,” Hakyeon beams, knocking loudly on the doorframe to announce his presence. Sanghyuk’s serious eyes flick to Hakyeon’s face and brighten up a bit, taking a respite from concentrating on the instructions Taekwoon is giving him.

“I am,” he says, offering his hand to Hakyeon and donning a shit-eating grin.

“Hakyeon,” Hakyeon replies, introducing himself and vigorously shaking Sanghyk’s hand. “What do you think?” He asks, gesturing generally to their surroundings.

“I’m excited,” Sanghyuk smiles after a moment’s thought. “To be honest I wasn’t sure what to expect of this place.”

“Well, it’s not as gloomy as it seems,” Hakyeon laughs, squeezing Sanghyuk’s shoulder. “Taekwoon isn’t exactly the life of the party, but things around here are pretty good. He’s showed you the barracks, yeah?” Sanghyuk shakes his head, causing Taekwoon to earn a ‘tsk’ from Hakeyeon.  

“Why are _they_ there?” Sanghyuk asks as they walk out of Youngji’s office, nodding his head towards the bodies hanging from the Wall. He’s nosy and perhaps a little too peppy for this type of environment, but Taekwoon isn’t one to complain. He’ll never admit it out loud, but any new company is appreciated.  Sanghyuk may be too enthusiastic, but he brings a sort of rejuvenating light to the cold building that feels like its crumbling even in its new frame.

“They broke the Law,” Taekwoon answers simply.

“They’re creepy,” Hakyeon interjects quickly, pulling Sanghyuk away. “Don’t look at them, hm? You won’t end up there, I promise. All you have to do to be successful here is remember the Law. And what is the law, little Hyukkie?” Hakyeon shakes Sanghyuk’s head around in an overdone fashion. Sanghyuk has been an employee here all of a day and he’s already being mothered.

“No mingling,” Sanghyuk shrugs.

“Good boy,” Hakyeon praises with a pinch to the boy’s cheeks.

In their world, it was as simple as that: no mingling. Humans worked dismantling robots that crossed over into the border and that was the only interaction allowed. Things had been less simple before and human population had suffered from it. There was a time when bodies of the dead outnumbered those of the living. No one had intended for things to turn out like this. But life never unfolds the way one expects it to, no matter how many other people are holding on to the same sort of hope.

The Cease Fire had only officially been signed a year ago. Humans had their land and the robots had theirs. Any border crossing—friendly or otherwise—was forbidden. Forget interactions or lifesaving procedures involving robotic technology. Anything the Rot hadn’t touched was illegal and was only to be used to recycle or repurpose. If it had a mind of its own, it was destroyed, no questions asked. Humans were still afraid. Perhaps they had good reason to be.

“He’s a nice kid,” Hakyeon muses after they’ve sent Sanghyuk home for the evening. He would return permanently in the morning. “Too nice to be working here, that’s for sure.” He bites his lip as he flicks the lights off, emergency beams flickering eerily. “You’ve got to keep him off the Wall. Don’t let him find out about the lab.”

Taekwoon only grunts in reply. Sanghyuk is a smart kid. He’s young, but certainly not too young to remember the events of the past few years. He’s bound to feel a certain way about mingling. He’s bound to find out about the lab eventually and there’s really nothing he or Hakyeon can do about it. All they can do is make sure their secret is safe with Sanghyuk and that Consul doesn’t find out about it.

“I’m serious,” Hakyeon says. “We can’t let him get into trouble. I don’t want… I don’t want to lose another one to the Wall.”

“We won’t,” Taekwoon says. Hakyeon gives a tired sigh. Taekwoon’s never been a good liar.

“Speaking of which, I’m headed back to check on Wonshik. I installed the motor chip I found this morning, but I don’t know if I got the circuitry right. Wanna take a look at it with me?”

It wasn’t really a question—not that Taekwoon would have turned the invitation down. Hakyeon grabs Taekwoon’s wrist and leads him back down the hall, past their offices, and back towards the Wall.

They call it a Wall, but it’s really not as big as it sounds. It’s a line of dismantled bodies lined up, each lifeless face spotlighted with the signature flickering lighting that was the trademark of this facility. For the most part, the faces didn’t bother Taekwoon. The motionless bodies and sightless eyes and occasional spark of wiring didn’t cause him any discomfort. The only thing that bothered him was the knowledge that he knew one of the bodies on the wall. He knew the sound of the laugh, the way the head would fly back characteristically when he laughed at something he found particularly amusing, he knew that this particular human snored loud enough to wake the dead. He called this person friend once.

“Hey Wonshikkie,” Hakyeon crooned, stopping in front of the only face in the line that Taekwoon knew. Hakyeon had a habit of talking to Wonshik whether or not he could hear it. ‘Better safe than sorry,’ Hakyeon had said. ‘He’s never listened to me anyway.’

Taekwoon steps closer to Wonshik’s body, examining the wiring that is bared from his collarbones down. Nothing exists below Wonshik’s torso, the wires just stop. Even if his motor chip _has_ been properly installed, Wonshik’s movements will be incredibly limited in this state. There’s no way he’s getting off the Wall. Not on his own.

“You put the chip here?” Taekwoon asks, pointing at a blue tinged disc near Wonshik’s sternum. He can hear the faint hum of the chip working—it’s a soft buzzing sound his ears are trained to hear. Hakyeon nods. Taekwoon lets his fingers brush lightly over the chip. Wonshik’s head moves ever so slightly, his eyes looking down at Taekwoon’s fingers making contact with him.

“It’s working,” Hakyeon breathed, sounding relieved.

“Your wiring is pristine,” Taekwoon hums, “The circuitry still has to get used to the chip. It’s older software.” He lets his fingers poke and prod through the wiring, Wonshik’s eyes following his movements.

“You’re always causing so much trouble,” Hakyeon says, flicking Wonshik’s nose lightly. “You had me scared half to death that I’d done something wrong!” A serious expression briefly washes over his features. “Just this once, you can’t cause trouble. We’re going to get you out of here, off this Wall, but you’ve got to let us. No pranks on the other workers, especially not when the Consul comes to visit for inspections.”

“The plan still stands,” Taekwoon says. “Wonshik’s always been good at following plans, you’ll just have to fill him in.” Taekwoon takes a step back from Wonshik. “We ought to go, Hakyeon. We were here late last night, we can’t do it again.”

“No, you’re right, you’re right,” Hakyeon steps closer to Taekwoon. “See you in the morning, Wonshikkie.” He gives a salute before turning on his heel and leading the way out, Taekwoon following close behind.

“Thank you.”

Taekwoon freezes mid-step, but Hakyeon spins around wildly, a dumb grin plastered on his face. When Taekwoon turned to look, he saw Wonshik’s head turned to face them, an earnest expression on his face. Wonshik’s voice was dry and quiet from lack of use, but it was definitely heard. After almost half a year, they heard Wonshik’s voice again.

**Author's Note:**

> up for major editing later bc i do not trust myself... ;A;


End file.
